Colleen Turner, Ph.D. (Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force Reserve, Retired) is a communications consultant and trainer whose client range includes Vista Disney, The California Endowment, the U.S. Army Tank Command, and UCLA's interfaith University Religious Conference. More recently her focus has been on advancing U.S. foreign policy towards positive outcomes. She has designed terrorist defense scenarios and has been tasked to make national level recommendations for the enhancement of international communications. Her research paper entitled: Best Practices for Inspiring Pro-American Sentiment was selected for website publication by the University of Southern California's School of Public Diplomacy: http://uscpublicdiplomacy.com/pdfs/turner.pdf She is the author of a small book that blends proven winning methods from a variety of arenas entitled "Communication for Transforming 'No Way' into 'Way to Go!'"

When the U.S. march to war with Iraq began, a career reserve military officer volunteered to go back onto active duty hoping to find a way to demonstrate powerful alternatives. While the initial combat phase would most likely result in a swift victory, she was convinced a lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity would evoke an endless stream of suicide bombings and the costs in lives, dollars, and international reputation could jeopardize national interests. Her Pentagon-sponsored research project revealed a myriad of untapped, creative, and ethical approaches for realizing international influence and respect. The author shares her findings, highlights of her journey, and describes how and why anyone might want to champion the lessons learned for the benefit of all inhabitants of spaceship earth.

What do you do when your everyday method of problem-solving doesn’t solve your problem? Quit? Tell yourself it can’t be solved? How about altering your approach? This workshop can help you resolve a difficulty of your choosing by using methods favored by masters from markedly different spheres. Doubtful? Keep in mind unfamiliar techniques or ones you find uncomfortable or consider silly may provide just the nudge your blind-spotted default position needs. Shaking up your “correct” strategy can create openings for outcomes otherwise unavailable. So don’t give up before giving this workshop a chance to help clarify your “favorite” conundrum.

Details:

Plenary #149): Best Practices For Inspiring Hearts and Minds: A Military Officer’s Quest To Wage Peace